Bed and cylinder address printing machine



May 26, 1953 H. P. ELLIOTT BED AND CYLINDER ADDRESS PRINTING MACHINE Filed April 22. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 26, 1953 H. P. ELLIOTT 2,

BED AND CYLINDER ADDRESS PRINTING MACHINE Filed April 22, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I JOHN DOE I IO RIVER STREET 15 1 NEW YORK, N. Y. L 1

Patented May 26, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BED AND CYLINDER ADDRESS PRINTING MACHINE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in printing machines of the general type wherein the printing is effected from printing devices, such as stencils, which may be advanced in succession to a printing position. More particularly it relates to mechanism for controlling the movements of a printing member so that stencil advance occurs during one movement of the printing member while the member is held out of printing relation to the stencils, and printing occurs during subsequent movement of the printing member while the member is in printing relation to an advanced and stationary stencil.

I is among the objects of the invention to provide a printing machine wherein a printing member has a circuitous path of travel during each printing cycle whereby it comes into printing coaction with a printing device only during a portion of each cycle of its circuitous travel.

Another object is to provide a printing machine wherein a printing member has circuitous travel during each cycle of its movements, with means holding it elevated above the plane of printing during its travel along one substantial portion of its circuitous path and holding it in the plane of printing during its travel along another substantial portion of its circuitous path.

A further object is to provide a printing machine which is capable of being bodily lifted by hand following each printing and placed as desired for a second printing, and wherein a handle is manually operable in one direction to advance a printing device to a printing position and is manually operable in the reverse direction to efiect a printing from the printing device in the printing position.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve printing machines and especially printing machines wherein printing is effected from printing devices which are advanced in succession to a printing position.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the printing machine embodying features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a series of stencils in end to end relation;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the printing machine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, on a larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view on line 66 of Fig. 3, on the scale of Figs. 4 and 5; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a stencil, on the scale of Figs. 4-6.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is illustrated as it may be embodied in a portable, manually operable printing machine wherein stencils, or comparable printing devices, move in succession to and through a printing position in response to manual actuations of a lever which also effects a printing from the printing device which at any time is in the printing position. It should be understood, however, that features of the invention are applicable to printing machines in general, whether manually or automatically operable, for controlling the movements of the coacting printing members between which printing elements move in succession to a printing position.

The illustrated machine has two spaced apart parallel rails Ill, [2 which together provide a track along which stencils M, or the like, may be moved in succession from a stencil holder [6 at one end portion of the track to a stencil holder l8 into which the stencils deliver at the opposite end portion of the track. The stencil holders l6, 58 are arranged over the space between the rails I0, I2, and they are secured to the rails, as by screws 20, whereby they maintain the predetermined proper spacing and parallelism of the rails.

The adjacent side edges of the rails ill, [2 are grooved at H and [3, respectively, for receiving the opposite side margins of the stencils l4. A supply stack of the stencils will be held in stencil holder [6 with the lower stencil of the stack resting on the rails I0, [2, the upper walls of Whose edge grooves ll, I3 are cut away at 22 so that the lowermost stencil rests on the bottom walls of the grooves as shown in Fig. 6. Hence, the lowermost stencil is in position to engage in the rail grooves, in a well known manner, when moved along the track.

Stencil holder [8, at the other end of the track, receives stencils delivering to it from the track, the upper walls of the rail grooves ll, 13 being cut away at 24 and there being a raised portion 26 on each rail whereby the lowermost stencil in holder l8 rests on these elevations 26, thereby providing space between it and the rails into which the delivering stencil may enter and lift the stack of stencils in moving to its position at the bottom of the stack, as is well known in the art.

A printing mechanism indicated generally at 30, is mounted on rails l0, l2 between the stencil holders l6, l8. As best seen in Figs. 4 and 5, the printing mechanism comprises a relatively large ink roll 32 and a smaller ink roll 34, both mounted on and between the spaced parallel 1egs'36, 38

of an actuator which is indicated generally at 40. The actuator is pivotally mounted on a fixed rod 42 which extends between and is supported by the brackets 44, 46 rising respectively from the rails Iii and I2. The upper portion of the actuator has a hand grip 4| thereon facilitating manual actuations of the actuator about the axis of rod 42, and has an arm 48 fixedthe'reon and extending down to a location a little aboveth'e rail l2. One end of a link 59 is pivotally connected to the lower end of arm 48 as at 52, and the other end of the link is pivotally connected at 54 to a stencil pusher member 56 whose "pusherporti'on 57 is adapted to engage the end edge of the lowermost stencil in holder l6 and push it,:and the stencils ahead of it in the track, one stencil length along the track when actuator 48 i's'actuated counter-clockwise as in Fig. 3. A guide rod58-on pusher 59 slidably engages in guide 60 to maintain the pusher portion'fi'l in proper alignment with a stencil.

Ink roll 32 has an absorbent surface which is capable of holding a considerable supply of ink. It is fixed on a shaft 62 which extends-loosely through slots 54, '65 in actuator legs 36, 38, one end of shaft 62 projecting loosely through'an opening 63 in bracket 44, with a finger knob 10 on its outer end, and the other end of shaft 62 terminating short of the other bracket 45. Roll 32 may be manually rotated by knob 10 to bring different portions of its surface into position for ink-transferring coaction with roll 34.

The smaller ink roll 34 is fixed on a shaft 12 which extends loosely through the deep notches l4, T6 in the end portions of actuator legs 36, 38, and coil springs 18 constantly bias the two roll shafts 68, 72 toward each other thereby to maintain the surface of roll 32 in ink-receiving contact with roll34. Two other coil springs 80 constantly bias roll shaft 12 toward the innerends of the notches l4, 16. However, according to the invention, each end of roll shaft 12 engages in a cam slot 82 of a cam plate 84 which is secured to the inside lower portion of each bracket 44, 46, and the springs 85 constantly bias the opposite ends of roll shaft 12 toward the upper walls of the cam slots 82.

Referring to 'Fig. 5,"a cam-lever 86 is operable in each cam slot 82, being pivoted at one end at 88 to the adjacent bracket 44 or 46'and havinga pin 81 at its other end portion-extendingloosely through a slot 95 in the bracket "44- or 46. A spring 92 biases each cam-lever 86 toward-engagement with the upper wall of its cam. slot 52, each spring 92 having one end anchored at 94 on the outer side of a bracket 44 or' 48 and having its other end connected to the pin'8lof a cam-lever 86.

Each cam-lever 85 is shaped and positioned in its cam slot 82 to provide a horizontal race-way between the cam-lever and the lower wall of the slot whenthe cam-leveris in itspositionof Fig. 5, so that an end of 'roll shaft l2-can traverse the race-way from one end of the'cam slot to the other end. The pivoted endofeach leveris rounded and positioned centrally of the width-of the cam slotand inward from the adjacent end of the cam slot; thereby to provide a curved-continuation of the mentioned race-way leading around the pivoted end of the'ca'm-lever to its upper side. Hence, an end 'ofthe roll shaft cantravel-to the left-along the under "side' of the cam-lever in Fig. andaround the'pivoted end of the lever to its full line position-in' 'FigA5.

-Th' upper side ofeachcam leverfl hasa" sub- -'the upper portion of the cam race-Way. As the shaft engages surface 96 and continues its move- 'ment'to 'the'right; it depresses the biased end of the cam-lever 86 and the cam-lever snaps back to 'itsiposition of Fig. 5 as soon as shaft 12 passes beyond the biased end of the lever to its upper 'dotted'position-in Fig. 5 whence it can move downward to the lower horizontal portion of the race-way.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that a counter-clockwise actuation of the actuator 40 in'Figs.'3 and 5 will cause a stencil I4 to "be advanced to printing position under the printing mechanism 30, assuming that this stencil will have been advancedpreviously one stencil length along the track'from holder l6. During'this advance of a stencil to printing position, roll shaft 12 will traverse the camslot 82 to the right along the upper side of the cam-lever '86 in Fig. 5, with'the springs holding the ends of shaft" againstthe upper wall of the cam groove. The lower ink roll '34, in consequence, moves ina generally horizontal path to the rightin'Fig. 5 and in substantially spaced relation to the advancing stencil l4. During the final travel of .roll 34 to the right, its shaft '12 cams the'biased ends of cam-levers '86 downward, and theseileverssnapback to theirpositions, asrepresented by the lever-86in Fig. 5, as soon as the shaft "l2 passes beyond the lever to the limit of its movement to the right, .at which time the machine will be conditionedfor a printing from the advanced stencil .in. response to a clockwise actuation of actuator 40.

Assuming that-the machine has-been placed on a support with a worksheet to be printed upon arranged between the support and the-stencil which has been advanced to printing-position a clockwise actuation of the actuator 40 willcause theends-of roll shaft'lZ to ride -down the inclined biased end-of the-cam-leven86 and into the lower horizontalportionof the cam. raceway. This involves atensioning of springs :80 which hold the ends of the shaftFIZ againstthe lower sides of the cam-levers 86 with-ink-rol1-34 lowered into coacting print-ing relation to the stencil l4 in the printingposition. The roller 34 rolls to the left over the address-bearing tissue portion 15 of the stencil, ina .manner to print the address from the stencil on/the underlying work sheet before the'ends of its=shaftl2 ride up the curved portion-cf the race-'wayto the position of the shaft as shown 'in full lines in Fig. 5 wherein it is ready: for another stencil advance in response to a counter-clockwise actuation of actuator 4 0 The machine as herein disclosed is extrem'ely light -in weight and isadaptedfor: convenient manual placement upon work-sheetsto be.v printed upon, followed by a; back and forth actuation of the actuator 40 to effect a printing on each :work sheet.

However, the herein: disclosed rmechanism -for successively traversing one' sprintingrmember toward another and for attaining printing coaction between the printing members only on alternate traversing movements of said one printing member, is applicable generally to printing machines, whether manual or automatic, wherein it may be desirable to effect a printing in response to only alternate actuations of a printing member.

I claim as my invention:

1. A printing machine comprising a track along which printing devices may be moved in succession to a printing position, a printing roll operative at the printing position and having a shaft disposed transversely of the track and parallel to the plane of said printing devices, means for reciprocating the shaft and roll longitudinally of the track, and guide means engaging opposite ends of the roll shaft for guiding the reciprocating shaft through a circuitous path with the roll in printing relation to the printing device in the printing position during its movement in one longitudinal direction and out of printing relation with said printing device during its movement in the opposite longitudinal direction, said guide means comprising, at each end of the roll shaft, a fixed guide for engaging the end of the roll shaft and guiding the movement of the roll shaft in one direction along said track, and a cam-lever pivoted at one of its ends in spaced relation to said fixed guide and having its free end constantly biased toward engagement with said fixed guide and constituting a yieldable abutment in the path of movement of the end of the roll shaft in said one direction along the fixed guide, said biased end of the cam-lever having one cam surface arranged to be engaged by said end of the roll shaft moving in said one direction whereby the biased end of the cam-lever is cammed out of the path of the end of the roll shaft until said end of the roll shaft moves past the cam-lever, and having another cam surface on which said end of the roll shaft rides when the direction of movement of the roll is reversed thereby to guide said end of the roll shaft around the biased end of the cam-lever for travel in guided engagement with said cam-lever during the said reversed movement of the roll along said track.

2. A printing machine comprising a track along which printing devices may be moved in succession to a printing position, a printing roll operative at the printing position, actuating means for operating said printing roll longitudinally of a printing device at the printing position, guide means for guiding each end of said roll in a circuitous path in response to actuations of said actuating means, said path at each end of the roll including spaced apart generally parallel straight portions along one of which an end of the roll has guided movement in one direction and along the other of which said end of the roll has guided movement in the opposite direction, said guide means including, at each end of the roll, a yieldable member constituting a yieldable obstruction at a predetermined location along said one parallel portion of said circuitous path, said yieldable member being adapted to yield when engaged by an end of the roll moving in one direction along said one parallel portion of the circuitous path, resilient means acting on said yieldable member for restoring it following a said yielding thereof, said yieldable member, when restored, barring any reverse travel of the end of the roll along said one parallel portion of the circuitous path while guiding said end of the roll to said other parallel portion of the circuitous path for reverse movement therealong, and means constantly biasing the opposite ends of the roll toward the plane of said one parallel portion of the circuitous path, said roll being out of printing relation to a printing device at the printing position when moving along said one parallel portion of the circuitous path and being in printing coaction with a printing device at the printing position when moving along said other parallel portion of the circuitous path.

HARMON P. ELLIOTT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 544,648 Anderson Aug. 20, 1895 1,822,344 Gollnick Sept. 8, 1931 1,843,116 Aldcroftt Feb. 2, 1932 1,941,667 Eley Jan. 2, 1934 2,132,282 Ajouelo Oct. 4, 1938 2,295,748 Moore Sept. 15, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 124,440 Great Britain July 10, 1919 

